Napoleon's Hat

The country around Tafraout is pink granite weathered into rounded boulders and domes - the rock exfoliates in shells as it cools and wears, so the shapes come out smooth and stacked rather than angular - and above the village of Aguerd Oudad one of the piles carries a silhouette that a French observer decided resembled Napoleon's hat, from one particular angle on the road below. Seen from anywhere else it is a rock. The walk up to it from the village takes half an hour on a scrambling path and the view back over the Ameln valley is the better half of the trip. The same granite carries the Painted Rocks a few kilometres away, boulders coloured blue by the Belgian artist Jean Vérame in 1984 and repainted since, which divide opinion sharply. February brings almond blossom to the valley floors and is the best time to be here.

Highlights

• Exfoliated granite - pink rock weathering into smooth stacked domes and boulders.
• The silhouette - a bicorne shape visible from one angle on the road below.
• The Ameln valley view - the better reward, from the scramble above the village.
• February almond blossom - the valley floors flowering in late winter.

When to go

February for almond blossom; October to April otherwise. Two hours.

Good to know

The resemblance works from one spot only and underwhelms many people. The path up is a rough scramble. Summer heat here is severe. The nearby Painted Rocks are faded and repainted and not to everyone's taste.

Nearby

Tafraout is north; the Ameln valley runs along the foot of Jebel el-Kest.